We need to be clear and blunt: the identification system used in Brazil has collapsed. Instead of serving to prove a person’s identity, this system is now an open sore that is being exploited by criminals through increasingly sophisticated scams.
RG, CPF, address, father’s and mother’s name, cell phone number and various other personal data that the country uses as identification are today tools for extortion, scams, illegitimate registrations and so on.
The reason for this is one: all the identification data of practically every person in the country was leaked. This data is now freely available online within the reach of scammers and criminal organizations.
A veritable industry has emerged to exploit this information. In addition to the famous whatsapp scam, which sends a message to a person’s father or mother claiming an emergency and asking for an immediate money transfer, every day a new scam appears in the country.
For example, the fake call center scam. The criminal easily identifies the bank where the person has an account. He then calls her from a spoofed number that exactly matches the bank’s number. The person answers and hears a 100% professional voice, identical to that of call centers.
The criminal then passes on some of the person’s data for them to confirm. He then claims that there was a security problem with the account and that he will transfer it to the bank’s security area. The call is transferred to another person, also with a 100% professional voice and posture.
The second person then begins to pass “guidelines” to the victim. In the process, he often manages to extract the passwords and even convince her to make “test” bank transfers to other accounts. Who is the victim of this scam is astonished: how can they know all my data? How could they have called me from the phone of the bank where I have an account? Actions unfortunately easy to do in the current context.
In other words, if you haven’t fallen for any internet scams yet or don’t know anyone who has, you can be sure your time will come. The scam industry based on data leaks every day creates a new mechanism to extract money and information from victims. This industry has become professionalized, has capital, employees and training protocols. It’s highly innovative. It’s like a customer service from the inside out, a call center from hell.
What to do in this context? In my opinion there are two things to do. The first is to indemnify the victims of the scams by ascertaining responsibilities. Within the scope of the Technology Commission of OAB-SP, we are investigating responsibilities to enter with appropriate measures.
The second thing is to completely reinvent the country’s identification system. What is there has gone bankrupt, it has become a problem and not a solution. Ideally, the path should be to create a true digital identity in the country, certified and reconfirmed in a relational and permanent way as the person lives his or her life. The Brazilian ID system needs a reboot. Until then, prepare for endless blows.
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I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
